Yasmani Tomas May Not Land in Philadelphia

This morning on 94.1 WIP-FM, Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki was on and was asked about the latest on Cuban outfielder, Yosmani Tomas.

What Zolecki said did not sound promising for fans hoping that the young, premiere outfielder would land in Philadelphia this offseason.

“He’s getting closer (to making a decision on a team), I don’ know if it’ll be the Phillies though,” said Zolecki. “I thought if the Phillies were going to get him, then they would have gotten him by now. Ruben, when he likes to go after these big fish type guys, likes to move fast, be aggressive with it, and move on with the rest of the offseason.”

Tomas, a 24-year-old, 6’1″, 240 pound corner outfielder could very well be the next great Cuban-born slugger to come to MLB, joining a list of players that includes Yasiel Puig, Yoenis Cespedes, and Jose Abreu.

In the 2012-2013 Serie Nacional regular season, Tomas batted .289 with 15 home runs, 34 walks and 52 strikeouts in 324 plate appearances over 81 games. He also ranked fifth in slugging, and sixth in home runs.

His breakout season came in the 2011-2012 regular season where he batted .301 with 16 homers in 240 plate appearances over 69 games.

With Marlon Byrd likely being dealt to a contender, and Dominic Brown’s disappointing play, a guy like Tomas would be welcomed into the Phillies’ outfield with open arms. Not only would he bring some excitement to a team in desperate need of some, but he could become a player that the Phillies can begin to rebuild their team around.

If in fact he does not land in Philadelphia, the team and the fan base could potentially be missing out on some exciting raw talent.

Here’s hoping he lands with the Phillies, and gives both the team and fans some hope for the future.

Earlier today, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark tweeted that one MLB executive said to bet the mortgage on the Phillies because “they want to do something big.”

However, another report by MLB.com’s Paul Hagan suggests that the Phillies’ are “backing off” Tomas due to concerns about his defense.

A deal for Tomas could potentially be in the $100 million range, but do the questions marks about his defense lower his value? The guy surely has big-bat potential, but what about his glove?

All we can do at this point is sit back and wait. Perhaps Tomas will end up with the Phillies after the smoke clears, or maybe not. Despite the defense, I would personally love to see this kid’s bat in the lineup on an everyday basis.